The Wind Under His Wings
by SwiftWhiteWolf
Summary: The expedition to the Forest of Giant Trees yields different results. Most of the original Spec Ops Levi Squad survives, with the help of new allies. Will these newcomers be able to help turn the tide in the war for humanitys salvation? Can they truly be trusted, or are they traitors lying in wait? Levi wants to believe in the hope these people represent, and one in particular.
1. The Forest of Giant Trees

[Chapter One: The Forest of Giant Trees]

[Levi`s POV]

 _What the hell was that?_ I held my hands over my ears, trying to block out the deafening roar of the female titan. The monster shook with what I could only assume was fear and anger as I stood on her head. I shifted to keep my balance. The titan continued to scream, the noise causing the invisible hairs on the nape of my neck to stand on end. I looked over at Erwin for a clue as to what we should do next. With her ability to harden her skin, it was going to make getting to the nape of her neck a difficult challenge. The unholy racket the giant was making would be sure to draw unwanted attention as well. _Shit._ Erwin`s expression matched my thoughts almost exactly, and I frowned at him.

"Sir! Titans incoming, from all directions!"

"Damn it! Keep them away! We can`t afford to lose her now." Erwin`s eyes burned with intensity as he shouted the orders. I leapt off the titan`s head and took up a position in the defensive formation alongside the other soldiers. The thick foliage surrounding us made it more difficult to see incoming titans, but it was impossible to mistake their footsteps. Even the elephantine trees could not fully resist the impact of the larger monsters now coming for us. Their branches trembled under our feet; leaves were shaken free and fell in green streamers to the distant forest floor nearly fifty meters below. Although my attention was sharply focused on the task at hand, I spared a thought for Eren and my special operations squad. The titans closing in on my position would likely be drawn past their location, and I hoped that they would be able to make the right choices to keep each other alive. I trusted their judgment. What I didn`t trust was the rest of the world. A shout from my left drew my peripheral vision for a brief moment. A seven meter tall enemy had appeared running towards us. _I still can`t get over the fact that these savages all look like retards._ I left the closer soldiers to deal with that one; I would stay close to Commander Smith and watch his back. He was an excellent warrior, and I admired his intelligence. _Maybe we wouldn`t lose so many soldiers if the military corps had more men like him._

In moments our forces were being swarmed by the giants. I leapt in to the fray, my blades flashing in my trademark style. I fought with my right blade in a reversed grip spinning and slicing through flesh with little lost momentum. As a cadet, I`d been told that holding my weapons this way was wrong. The man who had told me that was long since dead, one of many humans who had been devoured. Hot blood stained both instruments and ran down to my hands. Getting the stains out of my jacket later might be problematic. I flicked my wrists and flung some of the scarlet fluid off as it steamed with heat. My own blood pounded though my veins, thundering as my pulse sped up with the exertion of battling this seemingly endless wave of foes. I landed on another branch as the titan who`s nape I had just lopped a hunk of flesh from tumbled to the ground with an enormous crash. All around me a sea of green cloaks boiled, metal glinted and flashed wickedly. The brutes were tearing in to the female titan; I was somewhat surprised. The bitch was prepared to die before she gave up the secret of her identity. In a way, I respected her for her determination. She would at least die fighting. But what was her motive? How did she come to be? Unfortunately we wouldn`t be able to pry those answers out of her now. I heard a scream from behind me and whipped around, launching in to the air with my 3DM device out of reflex. None too soon did I react; as a great hand smashed through the space where I had just been standing. I repressed my horror at seeing the lower half of one of the other scouts dangling from the monster`s maw. My grappling claw lashed out from the 3DM gear and embedded itself in the creature`s shoulder. My momentum carried me in a wide arc around the bastard`s head and I flung myself towards the nape of its neck, my blades whistling through the air. All around me men were being torn apart, pulped, and eaten. It was a bloodbath.

"Retreat! Fall back to the Karanese District!" Erwin`s shout came from somewhere to my right, and I moved towards it. I thought; _Then again, the odds are never in our favor. There are just too many of them…_ Adrenaline fuelled my maneuvers, but I did not panic. I wasn`t allowed to do so. As much as I hated that others saw me as a leader, I had to look out for them. A blonde beacon of hair became visible through the thick steam ahead of me. I bent my knees and raised my arms in time to catch the branch the Commander was standing on. I swung myself around it and up to the other side, then flipped in midair and landed lightly next to him.

"Erwin , I need to go find my squad and make sure Eren`s secure."

"Go." He replied, and took off in another direction.

"Try not to die." I muttered to his back as the distance between us increased. I took a running start and leapt off the end of the limb, flinging my body towards where I knew my special operations group had been heading. The roars of titans and the screams of the recon squad echoed in my ears as I left.

Every one of the monsters I passed I wanted to engage and destroy, but the cold, logical side of my brain won that battle. My first priority was to find my team and Eren. Humanity `s best chance at survival might rest on that little shit`s shoulders, or, more appropriately in his genes. As I hurried towards my destination I kept my eyes open for anyone from my squad in case one or more of them had been separated from the rest. Then a familiar bellow reached my ears. Somewhere in the forest ahead of me, Eren had changed in to his titan form. He was only allowed to do that when he was threatened, and we had just barely stopped him from doing so earlier when the female titan was pursuing us. That he had changed could only mean one thing: _We`re in deep shit._ I got my ass moving, pushing harder than before and bursting through the leaves to literally fly in to a shit storm. Somehow, impossibly the person inside the female titan had escaped and been able to shape shift again. I was shocked to see Eren fighting her. The two gigantic humanoids were snapping the huge trees like matches as they struggled. I saw Oluo`s mangled corpse slung over a branch; the impact alone had probably killed him. Rage and sorrow tightened my fists on my swords, turning my knuckles white. Petra screamed as she dodged the female`s flailing fist. Eren in titan form had just kicked the enormous woman`s midsection, sending her flying in to the trunk of an eighty meter tall sequoia. The wood creaked in protest, snapping little by little. Directly in the path of the falling tree was Eld, who`s 3D device seemed to be malfunctioning, and who`s leg was visibly broken. Without hesitation I dropped from my temporary perch and anchored my 3DMG so that I could swing down and give the blonde man a hand.

"Eld!" I called his name and held out my hand as I approached on the downswing. As I had hoped he reached up and we clasped forearms. Still in motion I swung him with me so that we could land out of harm`s way. Saving Eld had cost me however. More titans had been drawn to the sounds of Eren`s roars and the battle. A few of them had wounds that were quickly closing as the gashes vented visible heat. One of them sported a flesh pairing blade embedded between its shoulder blades. The former owner`s arm was still attached although everything from that person`s elbow down was gone, presumably having been ripped off. Petra shrieked in pain from nearby. I caught a glimpse of her moving through the air towards Eld and I before the tip of an attacking titan`s finger collided with her left side. The slender brunette was sent forcefully in to the canopy and disappeared. Things were looking worse and worse with each passing second. The blonde titan was faster than Eren, and clearly possessed knowledge of fighting skills others of her kind did not. Eld and I barely managed to stay clear of yet another of the brutes, and watched in utter horror as she kicked through a tree branch and right through Eren`s head. Revealed suddenly was his human form, still partly embedded in the steaming inner tissue of his other form. The boy was defenseless like that. I didn`t have to tell Eld what I was thinking as I eased him down in the fork between two branches. My heart raced with barely repressed panic as I tore past the female titan looming over Yeager. I sliced through the muscles on one of her cheeks as I did so, both to distract her and to slow my falling momentum. Only did I barely free Eren and release some propulsion gas when a bone jarring collision threw me spinning blindly. My vision spotted and I fought for consciousness for a brief moment. I was able to arrest my fall, but now I had no idea where Eren was. The thing that had crashed in to me was a twelve meter mountain of moving flesh, bent on reaching the one Eren had been fighting and we had tried to capture. Again they were everywhere, closing in on me. As far as I knew I was the only one left alive. Even so, I would have to retrieve Eren`s body at all costs. Without it Hange would lose humanity`s only opportunity thus far to study an intelligent titan. Despair tightened my chest and exploded from my mouth in a terrifying shout of rage. _Damn it! This can`t have all been for nothing! I refuse to have let all of their deaths be meaningless!_ I moved towards where I thought Yeager would have fallen and spotted him limply sprawled on a massive bough. I made a beeline for him, my swords whirling frantically as giant hands reached for me. I was almost there! And then I was trapped in an enormous meaty fist from behind. The female titan had grabbed me, and both of my arms were pinned painfully to my sides. I could barely breathe, let alone move to defend myself. I snarled silently; _so this is the bitter end for me?_

But it wasn`t, not quite. As my vision again blurred, fast becoming cloudy and dark around the edges, I felt myself suddenly falling. Gasping for a clean breath I pushed weakly at the man-sized digits confining me. They fell away in spite of my poor efforts. There was no time to use my 3DMG to stop my fall. But somehow I wasn`t falling now, instead my body rose past the faces of the monsters and their snapping jaws, towards the cloudy sky. It took me a moment to realize that someone had saved _me_. Thin, strong arms were wrapped around my waist from behind, cradling me in place against someone`s chest. It was obvious that person was a woman for anatomical reasons. I wondered hazily if it was Petra by some miracle and recalled that there was no way she would have been able to lift me with the injuries she had undoubtedly sustained. _Is it_ _Mikasa?!_ But no, I estimated this person was taller than Mikasa. The hair streaming past my face was long and silvery white in color. Who did I know with hair that color and length? I couldn`t think straight. Every one of my special operations squad was likely dead. Oluo certainly was. Gunther I hadn`t seen since I`d parted ways with him before. Petra and Eld had vanished, and Eren… _Oh gods. I`ve failed!_

"If you don`t stop squirming, I`m going to drop your scrawny ass!" Growled a low, feminine voice from somewhere in the vicinity of my right ear. I stopped squirming. _Who the hell_ are _you?_ I wanted to yell a caustic response, but my throat was too tight to speak at all. Whoever it was, we both continued to ascend rapidly. The clouds weren`t much farther overhead, and with a shock I realized my rescuer wasn`t tethered to one of the trees as I had originally thought. How were we still going up? _What the-_ my silent inquiry was cut off as abruptly we were inside the clouds. It was like having a cold bucket of water dumped on my head from out of nowhere. An alien clicking sound came from above me, leading me to believe that somehow whatever my rescuer was attached to was being cranked up mechanically. I dared to raise my head and look up. I stared. Nothing in all of my life could have prepared me for what I saw above us just then. A massive ship, like one of those used in side the walled city was floating through the sky. Propellers rotated faster than I could see on the sides of the colossal construction. The edges of some vast balloon were just visible past the airship`s starboard and port. My jaw fell open in amazement. _This can`t be real. I must be lying unconscious somewhere on the forest floor right now. Hopefully someone finds me before I get eaten. I`m never going to live this down._ I marveled in disbelief at the insane illusion my mind had conjured up.


	2. Aether

**A/N: This chapter will be told from the pov of multiple characters. Italics outside quotations are thoughts, while words italicized inside quotations denote emphasis on the spoken word. (Forgot to mention that before.) Because I haven`t found the exact location of where the walled city would be located in the equivalent real world, I am saying it is somewhere near the Switzerland-Germany border for this story. The 'Homeland' mentioned in the manga I am placing in Germany itself. All characters are speaking English unless otherwise stated. (I know originally it was Japanese but too bad.)**

 **[Chapter Two: Aether]**

 **[Levi`s POV]**

The air up here was thinner than I was used to, making it a little harder to breathe. Or maybe I was just dizzy from the pain as I discovered one of my shoulders was dislocated. Perhaps it was this ache that made me realize that I wasn`t actually dreaming or having a nightmare. I stumbled, disoriented as whoever it was that had brought me here released me. I was standing on the deck of what appeared to be a galleon, except instead of sails this one had a gargantuan cloth balloon looming over it. Several cables attached to a net held the inflated fabric in place. I stared in shock at my surroundings. Looking past the edge of the dirigible I saw a sea of clouds. The slowly sinking sun shone gold and orange, tingeing everything with its light. This was a completely different world than the one I had been fighting for my life in just moments before. My head spun and my legs felt oddly unsteady. The voice from earlier returned, along with a steadying hand on my uninjured arm as I tried to take a step and almost lost my footing.

"Take it easy, you and your friends are safe here."

 _Where is here, exactly? And my 'friends'?_ "Where are they?!" I whirled suddenly, moving instinctively back and away from the person behind me. The floor creaked under my feet with a strong air current, and I wound up nearly falling on my ass again as I moved too quickly. The one sword I hadn`t dropped fighting below was raised in front of me defensively. It was in my right hand, in a reversed grip out of habit. My left arm hung painfully limp at my side. As I laid eyes on my rescuer I had to wonder for a moment if she was real. Standing with both hands empty and raised in front of me was an unusual looking woman.

Dark leather boots encased her legs up to her knees, bearing armored metal plates on the shins. Tucked in to these was a pair of fitted black pants that had corset lacing up the entire outer edges. A long, collared gray jacket with flared sleeves covered her torso. The neckline was cut squarely and trimmed with black lace and silver embroidery that mirrored the cuffs. Her hands were encased by black fingerless gloves. A black belt harness ran up her sides, across her chest, over her shoulders, and around each of her thighs to hold a strange metal pack in place against her back. Her skin was a shade of pale golden tan I had never seen before, and loosely curling silvery white hair hung just past her visible collar bone. She was slender enough that I had a hard time believing she had lifted me. The boots gave her about three inches on me in height, but what struck me most oddly was the color of her eyes. The irises were nearly as white at her hair, with the only darkness in them being her black pupils. Her face was angular with high cheekbones, and smudges of shadow that spoke of too little sleep gave her a somewhat ill appearance. _She looks like some kind of strange noble, but that stance looks like one of someone who`s used to fighting hand to hand._ One of her feet was further back than the other and she was turned partially, with her right side facing me. Both hands were raised in a gesture that said she didn`t want to fight. Her palms were devoid of weapons, although a wide, flat sword hung at her left hip. The guard of the weapon was gleaming gunmetal gray; while what I could see of the blade itself was an ominous black. A flare gun rested on her other hip. Like mine, her clothing was damp from passing through the clouds.

There were other people all around us. Most of them had curly black or brown hair, tanned skin, and small, dark eyes. Their clothing looked bizarre to me. Several wore harnesses similar to the woman`s, with more modest attire. These ones had weapons with them of varying styles. The others carried tools or barrels, first aid supplies and other goods around the large space. All of them had their gazes fixed on us. One man stood apart from the others, visibly almost half a foot taller than anyone else present. His clothing was more ornate than his fellows` as well. He had coal black hair shot through with gray at the temples, and gleaming golden beads were woven in to his trimmed beard. A gilded flintlock pistol was raised in his left hand. It was pointed straight at my chest over the young woman`s shoulder. He spoke directly in a gravelly voice;

"Lower your weapon, boy. That`s my daughter you`re threatening."

 _Excuse me,_ I thought, _I`m thirty one. I am no 'boy'._ "Not until I know what the hell is going on. Where are my squad members?" I barked back, not dropping my guard or giving any ground. His piercing navy eyes took on an increased menacing glint. The white haired girl held out an arm to bar his advance, but did not take her eyes off of me. She said;

"Captain Virgil, I do not require your assistance. He`s as uneasy as you are right now." She was frowning, but her expression cleared when she addressed me. "As for you, I`ve already told you that your friends are safe. Our medics are treating them as we speak. I`ll take you to them myself as soon as you put that weapon away. You`re aboard the _Aether_ ; the man with the gun is her Captain. He`s a bit overprotective. I am Aether Artemis Alamanni, and I`m the one who ordered your people to be rescued."

"I`ll stand down when he does. You can forget about me handing my sword over though. I`ll determine for myself if my people are safe or not." I jerked my chin towards the other 'Captain' as I responded. The one called Artemis nodded in acknowledgment.

"Father."

"Not a chance in hell. We _saved_ him and his people, risked our lives to do so. Now he has the _casetti_ to threaten us?"

" _I_ and _my_ _Dead Men_ rescued them. We risked _our_ lives. _You_ wanted us to stay on the Aether and ignore the screams. We just plucked this man and four other people out of a war zone, injured, and surrounded them all by strangers they probably didn`t even know existed. _Inferne a fuoco,_ we had no idea _they_ existed. Would you not be uneasy if it were you?"

"…I am only trying to look out for the members of this crew. You brought them aboard against my wishes, not knowing anything about them. Obviously they are dangerous. If you can`t keep them in line then I will have to, Artemis. Daughter or not, you`d better be willing to face the consequences of your actions." He glared at me for a moment longer before slowly uncocking the gun and tucking it away inside the breast of his coat. The elder man continued to give me a cold stare, but seemed to have thought better of causing a fight with so many of his own near harm`s way. I lowered my sword as well, easing it in to its sheath. My hand remained on the pommel out of paranoia. Artemis lowered her head and bowed to me slightly from the waist while keeping her eyes raised. She didn`t trust me either. _Smart._

"We can discuss my insubordination later. Right now there are people who need my help. I will accept whatever judgment you pass, regardless. But I _do_ know one thing about these people. They fight the titans, just like we do. Any enemy of my enemy is a potential ally."

 **[Artemis`s POV]**

I studied the battered man standing on the deck of my father`s ship. He was shorter than I had originally thought, and had more fight left in him too. After being partially crushed by that abnormal titan less than ten minutes ago, I would have thought he`d try to avoid another confrontation. His expression was cool and almost blank even with his left shoulder dislocated. _He`s a tough poco bastardo, I`ll give him that._ After my father was done having his fit and the guy I had cut free from the titan`s grasp calmed a little, I lowered my hands. I was wary of the people we had saved too, but more than that I was incredulous. As different from myself and my people as they appeared, they were still unmistakably _humans_. We had found what we were looking for, finally! _There are other people left! We have proof now that we aren`t the only ones who have managed to escape those monsters!_ A real, living, breathing human being stood before me. He was in rough shape, but he was here. While the intelligent part of my brain was warning me towards caution, another part was lighting up with the high of victory. After three long and vastly unsuccessful scouting missions in the past six years it was a spectacular relief that all of our efforts weren`t wasted. I couldn`t quite keep a small smirk from tugging at the corner of my mouth. I made eye contact with the unnamed stranger and tilted my head towards the door behind him leading to the lower levels of the Aether.

"Come on, they`re this way."

"After you."

The walk wasn`t a long one; my boots tapped softly on the smooth wood underneath my feet as I opened the door and led him down a short flight of stairs. There was no railing on either side, but the boards were sturdy and free of debris or obstruction. I skirted around one of my fellow crew members when we reached the bottom and waited for the man to follow. He did, shooting a curious glance around the interior of the galleon. Below deck was dimly lit at the moment, since the majority of the crew was upstairs and there was still daylight outside the portholes. When I glanced back over my shoulder I caught the young-looking man peering around with suspicion. Still his hand never moved from his weapon. _I guess I can`t blame him, whoever he is._ I said;

"I`m going to warn you now; your people are in rough shape."

"How many of us are there?" He inquired quickly.

"Four besides yourself. Three males and one female. The young woman I brought up before you was unconscious when I found her." I could see the metaphorical gears turning in his head at that.

 _Is it the female titan`s true form, or someone else?_ I had no idea what he was thinking, but judging from his expression it worried him further. "Can you treat their injuries?"

I appreciated that he didn`t ask me if I could save them. I answered truthfully; "My _medico_ is already working on that as we speak. I have my own people to attend to."

"They were injured in your rescue attempt?"

"I strongly doubt it. I trust in their abilities. Even so, I ordered them to return before myself to prevent that from happening. I still want to check on them and hear their reports, though." I paused before a narrow wooden door and placed my hand on the brass knob. The dark-haired man stopped short as I stepped to one side of the frame and opened the door for him.

 **[Levi`s POV]**

I frowned but stepped forward; I wanted to see my comrades more than I wanted to believe she was setting some kind of trap. I didn`t like that she forced me to walk past her in to the room first, since I didn`t know what to expect inside. However as soon as I saw Eld, Petra, Yeager, and surprisingly; Arlert- alive and whole I forgot to be quite as worried. We were instantly greeted by the clamor of several people trying to talk over each other at once. Every person in the room had turned towards the door. From the outside I would never have guessed the room was this large, but it managed to fit all four of the other scout regiment members plus a man in a lab coat and two other people I didn`t know. Petra was laid out on a narrow bed; her short hair splayed around her head like a dull halo. Next to her in a wooden chair was Eld, holding her hand while the medic splinted and bandaged his leg. Eren was tucked under a blanket in another bed a few feet away. His burns seemed to be healing more by the moment; they would probably be gone by the time he woke up. Keeping a watch over Yeager was Armin. The small blonde boy looked to be in the best condition out of all of my people which was saying something. I spotted only a small bandage on one of his cheeks. His bright blue eyes darted over and lit up when I entered the room.

"Captain Levi! You`re alive! Are there others? Have you seen Mikasa? Do you know-"

"Arlert, kindly contain your enthusiasm. I don`t have any better idea what`s happened than you do. What`s important right now is that we aren`t dead yet." Inside I was smiling, but outside I had to appear controlled and unflustered, for their sake. "Eld, you made it. How is Petra?"

"Heichō…She hasn`t woken since they found her. The wound isn`t very deep, although this one tells me she has a concussion which may lead to some memory loss." Eld gestured at the man wrapping his leg and looked at me with sad eyes full of worry. He and Petra had always been close friends. If I remembered correctly the two had actually grown up as neighbors in the same district. "Sir, there`s something else… I know you saw Oluo`s body, but Gunther is dead too. Someone dressed in the Scout`s uniform attacked us and disappeared right before the female titan showed up out of nowhere at our backs. I can only assume the titan and the attacker were one and the same person."

"I never found Gunther after we parted ways. He was a good man, and so was Oluo, if a bit annoying. They gave their lives for the cause, and I will make sure they are remembered for it when we return home. Their sacrifice is part of the reason at least you and the others are alive." Two more of my men were dead. Two more of my strongest were gone. Oluo had had the highest number of solo titan kills among us. A fist sized pain twisted in my chest. I refused to show it in front of these strangers and tried to focus on what little good had come of the tragedy. Stubbornly, I kept pushing forward. "You, what`s your name?" I asked the skinny male doctor. He turned to face me and I saw fear in his ice blue eyes. His curly black bangs reached nearly to his nose, hiding part of his face. His nose was short and somewhat crooked, clearly having been broken at one point. I took a step towards him and cocked my head expectantly for his answer. It did not go unnoticed when his crewmate strode past me to the two people on the other side of the room, that the clasp on her blade`s sheath was visibly undone. _Point taken, I won`t hurt your boyfriend._

"Aether Icarus Alamanni." The man responded quietly. His accent, like the others`, was thick and rich but I could not place it. He gave me a furtive glance before quickly returning to his work of splinting Eld`s leg. One side of his face was terribly scarred from his right cheekbone down as if it had been burned by a splash of caustic liquid. _Same last name. Is he her husband?_ I wondered silently. Then;

"I`m Levi Ackerman; a Captain within the Scout Regiment. Aether-sensei, what can you tell me?"

"Not much until they wake up. There`s no way to be certain that she`s suffered any brain damage before that happens. I am optimistic about her recovery, though. This man has a compound tibial fracture. It will take a few months to heal properly during which time he will need to stay off his feet. Too bad he can`t heal like your other friend over there. Now _that`s_ something I don`t see very often. Is he a ghoul? He does not look like one."

"'Ghoul?' I`m not sure what you mean by that." I squinted hard at him, wondering what the hell he was rambling about. My shoulder and arm throbbed, but I ignored them. Artemis took the liberty of explaining somewhat.

"A 'ghoul' is someone with extraordinary regenerative capabilities brought about through mutation. We have them in our city of New Roma as well, but they are very rare and usually treated like second class citizens. Icarus, I strongly doubt he needs to know about that right now. You might try fixing his shoulder instead."

 _New Roma? 'Your city'? So there are more of these people out there?! This is an important find for the Scout Regiment… Something good_ has _come from our sacrifice. I`m not sure I like the way she looked at Eren just now though; like she knows a lot more than she`s letting on._ I made an effort to slow my whirling thoughts and focus more clearly. I told them; "No, Yeager`s not a ghoul, whatever that might entail. He does heal faster than normal, which is one of the things we were trying to study back home before we were chased by that Abnormal female titan. I would appreciate it if you are able to do something for my injury, doctor. But worry about those four first." Feeling drained but immensely relieved at seeing Eld, Petra, Yeager, and Arlert alive I glanced around for an open seat. There were only three chairs, and all of them were occupied currently by Armin, Eld, and the doctor. There was one other bed with no one in it, so I sat on that and observed the woman instead.

Right now she seemed to be getting an enthusiastic scolding. The two she was with wore the same harnesses and gear as she did. One was a short, flat-chested redheaded girl who didn`t look like she could be any older than twenty, the other was a muscular guy with a shadow of stubble and shaggy brown hair. The man`s voice was too low and he spoke in a fluid language that I didn`t understand. He had his thick arms crossed over his chest and was clearly unhappy. He gestured to his vertically challenged companion as I watched, which prompted her to cut him off verbally.

"Come hai potuto fare questo a noi?! Artemis! Idiota! Che diavolo?!"

"Juliette-" My rescuer tried, but couldn`t get a word in edge-wise.

"Non e vero 'Juliette' mi! Non si puo solo scappare ! Pietre pensa cosi anche."

"Juliette. Ecco perche." The taller woman leaned down and grabbed the other`s chin, physically stopping her tirade. I wondered what she meant to do just then. I assumed it was 'Juliette' by their argument who`s face turned bright red at that moment. Artemis gently turned her companion`s face to one side and pulled a handkerchief from a pocket hidden in her jacket. With that she dabbed expertly at a scratch on the girl`s face. I saw her from the side; her profile was smiling kindly. I couldn`t tell what language they were speaking, and I could only guess at the meaning behind the words. But to me it was obvious that the Captain`s daughter cared about the other girl. I wasn`t clear on what their relation ship was, although it was interesting to watch and it distracted me from the pain as I waited patiently for the doctor to finish patching up Eld. Meanwhile the man in the harness (I thought his name was Peitre) was looking at his comrades with something like jealousy. The angry little woman`s eyes were watering; then she was suddenly crying.

"Artemis! Che diavolo…" He reached out almost faster than I could see, making a pouting expression, and punched her on the arm. Surprisingly, her boot caught on a part of the floor and she fell on her ass laughing. The sound was a happy one. In it I heard the same relief and fleeting joy I had felt upon finding Eren, Armin, Eld, and Petra alive. The male Alamanni`s hands jerked in surprise. He looked over and stared at the trio before rolling his eyes. Then he too spoke, his voice a playful growl;

"Don`t make me come over there. I have patients who need rest and quiet in here you _pagliaccis_." He had finished with Eld and turned to me now.

He asked if I was able to remove my cloak and jacket so that he might examine my shoulder. I suppressed a sigh; doing so meant I would have to take my hand off my weapon. _Come on, Ackerman. What are they going to do, tie you up with bandages?_ I nodded and exhaled, then unclasped my cloak. It fell back on the bed behind me with a light slithering noise. The jacket was harder with only one working arm, especially as I was trying not to jar the other one and aggravate the injury. After a moment I finally managed it although I could feel my cheeks starting to burn marginally. Relocating my shoulder was a painful process, but thankfully it was over with faster than I had expected. Once that was accomplished and everyone had been treated for their ailments, the medic turned to the woman with whom he shared a last name. She was sitting between her friends; they were all crammed on to the edge of one bed talking quietly now. Standing over her they looked nothing alike, yet certain aspects about them were identical. Like the cadence of their speech, for example.

"What about you, Artemis?" Her gaze rose to meet his after a moment and she stood up.

"What about me, Icarus?"

"Are you kidding? You dead dropped off the Aether in to a forest writhing with titans and you came out without a scratch? Come on."

"What does it look like to you? I didn`t go down to engage them, just to steal their supper."

"How`s your leg?"

"I`m walking on it, aren`t I?"

"Artemis…"

"Come off it. If I need stitches or something I`ll let you know. I have to go deal with the Captain now, so stay out of trouble." She shot me a look of farewell before she walked out of the room. The door swung shut with a quiet smack. I glanced over at the tall doctor with tired eyes. Arlert chose that moment to speak up somewhat inappropriately;

"What was that about? She didn`t look hurt to me…"

"Tch. She rarely lets on when she is anyways. She`s the most stubborn person I`ve ever met."

"Is that why you married her?" Eld wondered, having made the same assumption as I had earlier. Icarus`s eyes bulged and his face turned paper white, then beat red in quick sequence. His mild manner vanished in a wave of mortification.

"W-what the hell made you think we`re married?!"

"You do have the same surname." I contributed to the conversation, hoping it would be over and we could all catch some rest soon.

"Artemis is my sister." He explained, casting a glare at his fellows who were snickering from their perch. "Out." He told them sternly, and pointed at the portal through which his sibling had just left. Both obediently rose, still suppressing laughs albeit not very well.

"Can they understand us?" I wondered out loud.

"They understand enough. Maybe not the finer points, but Artemis has been teaching them for about a year now."

 _Were they speaking that other tongue to make sure I didn`t understand?_ I found that idea suspicious. "Did she teach you this language too?"

"No, our mother taught us both when we were children, but Artemis speaks better English than me."

"She`s multilingual." Armin chimed in helpfully. Eld appeared to be resting his eyes as he leaned back in the chair, still holding Petra`s hand. Icarus peered over at Arlert from underneath his dark bangs.

"Yes, she has a talent for languages. She speaks English, Italian, German, and some Latin. It`s one of the reasons she was allowed to come on the expeditions in the first place." That caught my interest, and I asked him about it since he seemed to be in a talkative mood.

"What _is_ the purpose of these expeditions? I can`t imagine it`s just to save random strangers."

"Tcht." Icarus clicked his tongue in a way that seemed the equivalent of a snort. "No, this is the first time we`ve even met other people from outside our city. _That_ is the point of these journeys. An ancient temple from a long gone culture serves as the foundation for much of New Roma. Within that structure are many different kinds of history recorded; paintings, sculptures, carvings, scrolls, and tomes. They tell of a vast world populated by thousands of civilizations. But since the titans appeared, that world has been lost. All of those people, their memories, they made their mark. We want to make our own mark by rediscovering the rest of the world. We want to meet the descendants of the people that we read about in those stories. But, more than anything, we want to be rid of the titans to live outside of New Roma`s walls. The island is large and well defended, but it can sustain only so many."

"So, your people in this 'New Roma' are running out of space and supplies?" Armin wanted to know curiously. I could see in his young face a spark of fascination. He was an avid reader according to Eren; I bet he was fantasizing about some library in a distant, magical land. Listening to the two of them talk I was just glad for a reprieve. Of course I knew we would have to worry about getting back home and fighting the titans again soon. For now though, my survey corps squadron needed to rest and heal, and I was content to let them do so while relaxing myself for a while. The doctor meanwhile had turned his chair around backwards and had crossed his arms on top of its back. Armin pulled his own seat up next to Icarus, leaving Eren to sleep in peace. _I swear those two are attached at the hip. All that`s missing from this picture is Mikasa hanging around. And Oluo, and Gunther…_ I shifted slightly, easing my back up against the headboard of the bed and crossing my legs at the ankles so that I was more comfortable.

"No, Meister Arlert. We have both things with spare still, but our leaders like to plan ahead for the future."

"You have more than one leader? Don`t you follow a king or queen?" The blonde asked. All my pessimistic thoughts could come up with was; _It must be nice to have the luxury of worrying about a future that far ahead._

"Do you? We have a small council of five leaders. They vote on all important matters. The majority votes rules and makes the final decision. But that`s all boring political _merda_. What is _your_ home like?" They went back and forth for some time gossiping with and learning from each other. I dozed in and out of slumber; I was too exhausted to fight it and too paranoid to sleep properly. Eren began fussing in his sleep at one point and half yelling unintelligibly. Armin rose then and went to comfort him by sitting next to his bed and talking softly. Icarus bid us both rest and apologized for letting his curiosity run away with him, then left us to our own devices. I drifted off vaguely wondering just what I would wake up to.


	3. DisOrientation

**A/N: Based on the commonly accepted idea that the giant tree forests are most likely sequoias, which are primarily found in North America, I realized my placement of the Walled City is likely incorrect. My bad. (Assuming the trees are actually sequoias, which I can`t find any specific mention of.) As it were Eren and the gang`s home is still going to be located near the Swiss-German border for this fan fiction. If I do another one I might change that.**

 **[Chapter Three: DisOrientation]**

 **[Petra`s POV]**

I groggily opened my eyes to see a room that I did not recognize. My whole body ached and my mouth had that fuzzy, cotton filled feeling. When I tried to raise my arm to rub the sleep from my eyes I realized my hand was stuck under something warm and rough. Slowly I turned my throbbing head to see what it was. Eld was slumped over sitting on a chair next to the bed I was lying in. One of his calloused palms was resting on top of mine. His fingers curled down and around as if he had been holding it. I opened my mouth and my voice came out hoarse;

"Eld, what happened?"

The handsome man didn`t respond as he slept like the dead and quietly snored. I reluctantly tugged my hand free and tried again. "Eld? Wake up." Gods my throat was parched. I licked my dry lips and was about to try and rouse my teammate again when Armin Arlert`s voice surprised me.

"Ral? You`re finally awake!"

"Arlert?" I rasped his name in a puzzled tone. The boy (I still thought of him like a kid in spite of his joining the survey corps) rose from his seat and grabbed a pitcher of water and a mug from a small side table holding several of them. He carefully brought them over to me and poured me a glass. I took it with shaky hands and drained the vessel. After I had quenched my awful thirst and could speak normally again I asked him;

"Why are you here? Where _is_ 'here' anyways? Did we retreat to the Karanese District? What happened?"

"Hold on, slow down a minute please. You`ve been out for a while. What`s the last thing you remember?" He watched me with a worried expression as I tried to recall how I had gotten here.

"…Let`s see. The last thing I remember…The female titan reappeared and attacked us after we thought she had been captured. Oh gods…That _bitch_ murdered Gunther and Oluo!" I exclaimed in a harsh whisper as the horror came back to me. My chest became tight and tears streamed down my cheeks. Armin sat on the edge of the bed and handed me a cloth tissue. I accepted it while he stared at me like I had just grown a second head. I don`t think he had ever heard me swear before. I lamented "They were my friends…"

"I am so sorry." Armin said genuinely. The kid`s heart was probably more golden than his hair. I nodded a mute thanks and took a few moments to quietly mourn the treasured companions that had been taken from me far too soon. Arlert waited politely for me to pull myself together again while the room`s other occupants dozed. All of them except one, as it turned out.

"Why is Petra crying, Armin? Where are we?" Eren`s bright green gaze stared through me as I finished wiping my face off and looked up at the sound of his voice. All of his burns had completely healed, but he was still pale. Arlert exclaimed in a loud whisper;

"Eren!" The blonde bolted up and immediately went to his friend`s side as Eren tried to disentangle himself from his sheets. I used that time to compose myself before joining the two young men on Yeager`s bed a minute later. Armin was kind and patient enough to explain to us everything that had transpired leading up to and following our arrival here.

"So you were separated from your group by the titan activity that that monster used to escape, and you were searching for Eren and Mikasa?"

"Yes. I had to make sure Eren was okay. It`s not that I didn`t trust the Captain or you guys to protect him. It`s just that he`s my best friend; if I had done nothing or fled with the rest and he got hurt I don`t think I would ever have been able to forgive myself."

"Aw Armin don`t get all watery-eyed on me. Come on…" The brunette shoved his pal, teasing him and trying to break the dark mood. I said;

"I hope Mikasa is okay. I don`t know her very well yet, but I don`t want to miss the chance to get to know her either. She seems like a good, strong person." I liked her. In a way, she reminded me of a younger version of myself (if a little braver).

"Heh. She`s probably better off than most of us. She`s so tough, there`s no way Mikasa isn`t okay." Yeager stated confidently. _He has complete faith in her,_ I thought. I had had that same kind of faith in Oluo and Gunther. I knew the feeling, and I just wished that Eren wasn`t going to be hurt the way I had been. _I know it`s not realistic to think of things that way, considering what we fight and the danger of the missions we go through. But, I still can`t help hope that someday we won`t have to lose everyone we love to those bastard titans._ My thoughts were interrupted by a brisk knock at the door. Levi, who was a light sleeper opened his eyes in a narrow squint and glared at the door. I was amazed the insomniac had actually been able to get some sleep. Eld woke with a snort as someone pushed the door open. At first my friend seemed alarmed, but he quickly relaxed as he seemed to remember where he was. I had been somewhat doubtful of our group`s safety as Arlert filled me in, but after seeing the captain and Eld both calm enough to rest put me more at ease.

The man who entered the room was best described as lanky in my opinion. He might have been attractive with his pale blue eyes and dark, curly hair but for the large portion of his face that was scarred. A white, long sleeved coat of sorts was worn over his red shirt and light brown trousers. Square spectacles sat on the end of his crooked nose, giving him a semi-scholarly appearance. When he spoke to me I thought; _he has a nice voice._

"Good, you`re awake. Welcome back to the land of the living. I`m the physician who treated your injuries. I was afraid you might have a concussion."

"Oh, um, thank you then. I`m Petra Ral. You seem to have saved my life." I said awkwardly, not meaning to sound strange, but his accent and the current situation had really thrown me.

"Well, not quite. My name is Icarus Alamanni, and actually it`s my sister you should be thanking. She`s the one that saved you; she pulled you up herself. Enough of that though. How are you feeling? Any pain or blurry vision? Dizziness?"

"I`ve had worse I guess. My whole body`s sore and my arm aches, but I can see just fine. I haven't had a dizzy spell yet."

"Good, that`s excellent. Would you mind if I checked your pupils to judge your visual tracking just to be safe?"

"Sure, do whatever you have to do, Doctor." I rubbed the back of my neck shyly. I wasn`t used to being fussed over. It wasn`t altogether unpleasant, just new to me. Icarus pulled up a chair in front of me and sat in it. He asked me to tell him how many fingers he was holding up and checked my peripheral vision. He examined the size of my pupils and had me follow a digit back and forth without moving my head. My pulse was analyzed, and so was my breathing. The doctor told me to take it easy for a few days but said that beyond some bad bruising I should be healed in a few weeks at most. He gave me some salve for the bruises and removed the bandage on my temple to clean the cut with some stinging antiseptic before applying a new gauze pad. I felt bad for Eld, who`s leg was broken. He would be out of commission from the survey corps for at least a month or two when we got back to the walled city. Captain Levi gave voice to the thought that had just crossed my mind then;

"Alamanni. Where is this ship headed?"

"Captain Virgil has us moving north at the moment. You`re probably wondering about getting back to the rest of your people, aren't you?" The thin man asked mildly. _Wow, he`s spot on._

"I was wondering about that too, sir." I added in, looking at the faces of my fellow scouts. It seemed that now the topic had been brought up, we were all thinking the same thing.

"I`m not surprised, I would be too. I believe the Captain wanted to discuss the matter with all of you over dinner tonight. That is another reason I came by again; he asked me to invite your group to dine privately with a few of us that we might work out a plan that suits both of our people." Icarus washed his hands in a basin and dried them while he talked. He turned to meet Levi`s wary gaze as he spoke the last.

"Then I suppose we had better accept." Levi returned in acknowledgement.

"If you aren't feeling up to it quite yet, that's understandable. The lot of you have been through the mill, as we say."

"No, we`ll be fine. Right, everyone? I`m sure none of us would turn down a real meal right now after the day we`ve had." At the question myself, Eren, Eld, and Armin read each other`s faces and all eventually nodded in agreement.

"I`ll let the cooks know so they can prepare then. We`ve got about two hours before they`ll be ready." Icarus smiled disconcertingly and began to move towards the door. I noticed the Captain had risen and stepped towards the door as well. He seemed restless and edgy. His tone was a bit aggressive for the inquiry he made next.

"Thank you. Alamanni, would you mind pointing me in the direction of the bathroom?"

"Eh? Sure, it`s down the corridor to your right near the end, same side as this room. Is there something else you wanted to ask me?" The taller, scarred male seemed a bit confused by the slightly hostile tone and attitude. I had noticed that he wasn`t armed but thought I knew what the Captain was playing at. _He`s testing him to see if we`re stuck in this room. He doesn`t want us trapped and is sure they`ll try to confine us here._ My guess was correct.

"No. I`ll be going then." The shorter man, one I had followed in to battle against titans numerous times, strode out the door suddenly then and began moving down the hall. Icarus watched him for a moment, before he commented quietly to himself with a chuckle;

"Huh. I suppose he really had to go…"

"Um, Doctor?" I asked, wondering that he hadn`t reacted as we`d expected. His smile was both kind and clueless.

"Si?"

"Can we leave? I mean, are we allowed to explore the ship?"

"Oh? If you feel up to it, although I figured you would have been uncomfortable with all the new faces. Many of our crew don`t speak English, so they`d be difficult to talk to. But, if you`re feeling better already I don`t see why not. Just stay out of the boiler room and cargo hold downstairs, it`s dangerous if you don`t know where you`re going. Obviously don`t start trouble. I`ll be around, so if you need something just ask for Icarus or Artemis."

"Huh. Okay. Thanks, then."

"Not at all, now I`ve got to get going. Please take care." With that the dark-haired foreigner was out the door and gone. He let it swing behind him, although he didn`t latch it closed or anything. I thought; _So we`re not prisoners? That seems a little reckless to just let a bunch of strangers wander around your ship…Either they`re all a lot more clever than I`m giving them credit for or very, very naive._ I voiced my thoughts to the others and we more or less all agreed. I could see Armin was debating something in his head, but he didn`t mention what it might be. Instead he chewed thoughtfully on his lip until Eren nudged him with bright eyes. He exclaimed eagerly;

"Let`s go explore then, Armin!"

 **[Levi`s POV]**

I wasn't sure what to make of these people. The few I passed didn`t pay me much attention except to glance me over and nod or smile politely. They seemed almost _too_ nice. It bothered me. I hadn`t stuck around to hear the last of what Icarus said, having thought he might attempt to chase me or dog me around instead. I was deeply surprised when he just left me to my own devices and went his own way. My bladder was telling me that I really did need to find the bathroom, but it was also a convenient excuse to leave the confines of the small medical bay. It was an excuse that I apparently did not need. _How can they be so trusting? I would have us under armed escort at all times if I were in their position. Even if they have never met outsiders before, they have to have some kind of basic knowledge that most people aren`t as humble as they may seem. For all they know we could be a band of thieves or assassins, and yet these people let us walk around freely without even a guide? It`s bizarre._ I continued along the mostly empty corridor.

It was long; seeming to run from one end of the massive ship all the way to the other. The floor was bare, worn wood. The walls had oil paintings hanging on them, most small and depicting things like birds wheeling against a pale sky and other scenes from nature. At regular intervals copper brackets protruded from the walls near the ceiling. They held glowing glass orbs filled with what I could only guess at as some weird sort of plant. Whatever it happened to be, the specimen was bioluminescent. Everything was surprisingly clean. With as many people as I had seen on the main deck upon arrival, I thought the interior of the ship would be coated in footprints and fingerprint smudges. Thankfully, it was not. But that was just one more thing I found suspicious. How could the place _not_ be dirtier? Resolved to stick with my paranoia, I arrived at a door that bore a plaque 'men`s bathroom'. _They segregate their bathrooms on a ship? The ones back at home are lucky to have a single bathroom at all…_ Tentatively I reached for the knob and opened the door, only to be further shocked. The room behind it was as large as a bedroom and bore three toilet stalls. What was more, it didn`t reek of piss and filth. I had met mercantile sailors before within the walled city who travelled from district to district, and despised their lack of cleanliness. It appeared that these 'sailors' (or pilots, perhaps?) were different. Frowning I shut myself in one of the stalls and took care of business. After washing and drying my hands I found myself once more scouting the hallway. There were multiple doors on both sides of it. Most were closed, and it seemed the majority of the crew members were elsewhere. _I might as well reconnaissance the place properly,_ I thought. I flicked my dark bangs from my face and gave in to my curiosity by opening a random door down the way. Peeking through the narrow sliver I could see what I assumed was the main dining area. It was also lit by the strange glass orbs and lined with elegantly carved wooden furniture and copper colored fixtures. Several people were inside, setting tables. Behind a partitioned bar area I saw more preparing food through an opening. I quickly ducked past before someone could spot and detain me. The hairs on the back of my neck were standing on end, and I had the sensation that someone was watching me unseen. I spun around to find the walkway empty but for a pair of elder men heading in the opposite direction. I shrugged off the feeling and continued to explore. I reached the end of the walkway eventually and found myself at a door. It wasn`t locked when I checked it so I proceeded down the revealed stairs, albeit cautiously. Immediately I noticed was that there were a lot more doors down here. I tried the first door I came to. The ornate knob only moved part of the way before it stuck. _Locked. I wonder what`s in here?_ I heard footsteps coming down behind me and quickly ducked in to another room without looking; there wasn`t any time. My pulse sped up slightly as I hid and waited for whoever it was to pass. In the mean time I peered around and discovered I was in a bedroom containing several canopy style beds. Like everything else on the ship, the furniture in here seemed to be of good quality, and I got the impression that this ship was used more for transportation and luxury than for any kind of military operation. _Perhaps it`s some kind of mercantile vessel? That might explain why the crew seems more mellow and lax in security. Other than Artemis and the few I saw with the harnesses like ours I would guess they aren`t soldiers. Well, there`s the Captain. He knows his way around a gun at least. Hmm…_ I poked around the room a bit; finding the chests near the end of each bed contained mostly personal effects such as clothing or books. None of them had weapons other than the occasional pocket knife. I did come across an interesting book that appeared to be an 'Italian to English Dictionary'. Purely out of curiosity I looked up some of the phrases I could recall hearing the crew members I`d met so far use.

Before too much longer I left the common quarters. There were other rooms containing only a single bed or two, and it was in one of these that I found myself next. I thought out loud;

"This has to belong to a higher ranking member of the crew. But why would they leave the door unlocked? Anyone could just walk in and go through things…" Which I did, taking advantage of the opportunity as it presented itself. To the left of the entry was a lounge-like area holding two dark leather couches and a matching chair. A small, marble topped end table perched next to the chair, a stack of books upon it next to a tall lantern. There was a wide shelf standing taller than I was filled with more volumes and knickknacks behind it. I browsed the spines for something that might give me clues about the crew, the place they hailed from, or the ship itself. A stack of scrolls on the top shelf looked promising, but I couldn`t reach them. Cursing my vertically challenged body in annoyance I examined the baubles instead. An ornate compass, a glass statue, shells and sea glass that I couldn`t identify for what they really were since I had never seen them or the ocean before. On the other side of the room was a large canopy bed draped in thick, rich green fabric. The sheets and pillows were ivory colored, unadorned. A framed picture rested on the end table, showing a younger version of the Aether`s captain with his arm around a woman`s waist. In front of them was Icarus; I recognized him by the crooked nose. He appeared to be about fifteen and had a bandage over the bridge of his nose under his glasses. He was looking up at the woman, who was beaming beautifully. Next to her was a young teenage girl with white hair. Her hand rested on top of the girl`s head as if to comfort her. The pale youth was staring away from everyone towards something outside the picture with a stubborn expression. _Looks like a happy family. But why would this be here? This can`t be the captain`s quarters…I`m betting that`s where that locked door I found earlier led to. So that means this room must belong to Icarus or Artemis. Either one`s a fool for leaving the door open._ I turned around to investigate further, and froze in my tracks. Leaning against the doorframe was the owner of the room herself. A towel hung around her shoulders and her hair was wet. I could see the beads of water that collected at the tips of it as she stared at me with her arms crossed. She looked a lot less like an aristocrat and a lot more like a thug with her fancy clothes from before gone. Black cargo pants covered her legs, but her feet were bare of shoes or socks. _That must be why I didn`t hear her come in._ I stared back, surprised in to silence. Her left arm was covered with neat scars that resembled tally marks from her bare shoulder all the way to just past the elbow. With her hair bound back by a cord I could see that the angles of her face were much sharper than her sibling`s. In spite of being physically smaller and shorter than her brother, she had more muscle tone. Her right hand was wrapped in fresh bandages over the knuckles. A sleeveless gray tunic concealed her top half, but I could see the muscles move slightly under the fitted fabric in her back as she walked past me.

"You know, it`s not polite to snoop through people`s things, Captain Ackerman. I was only gone for a minute to shower and I come back to find you sneaking around." She strode to a glass fronted cabinet and pulled out a tea kettle, then filled it with water from a pitcher and added some herbs from a jar. I watched her, wondering where her anger was. I asked her;

"I don`t suppose you would believe I got lost?"

"I figure if you`re the leader of a scouting party as Arlert mentioned earlier, then that isn`t very likely. Have a seat." She stated, the last was phrased like a command but her tone of voice said it was more of a request. I shrugged and returned to the lounge like area while the young woman placed the kettle on a fixture I didn`t know the name of and lit a fire under it with a match. Her hands moved as if from habit, gathering tea cups and other pieces of the service. _She might seem careless, but at least she isn`t stupid. What kind of tea is that? What is she up to?_

"Admittedly I may have been investigating. I didn`t know this was your room until you walked in to it though."

"Hm. Did you find what you were looking for?"

"Not really. I hadn`t had much time before you showed up."

"Is that so? Nothing at all caught you eye?" Her head tilted as she sat down in the chair across from me and crossed her legs at the ankles. I was leaning back in to the couch with one of my ankles on my opposite knee and my hands resting casually in my lap. I met her pale gaze and followed it. She was glancing at the book case with the scrolls atop it. _How long was she standing there? Did she see me trying to reach those? That`s unfortunate._ It seemed honesty was my best option in this instance. I confessed;

"I thought there might be a journal or some maps there that might tell me more about what kind of people you are, or where you came from. I want to know what it is that would make you dive hundreds of feet in to a forest filled with man eating monsters and risk your lives for complete strangers. Have you merely taken us for prisoners to try to enslave us?"

"I have several logs there that will tell you about the travels of the Aether, for as long as I`ve been on it. Those scrolls are mostly poetry through. If you wants maps I`ll get some from my father." She reclined easily, as if she had nothing to worry about. She was being awfully calm about all this, and it put me on edge. I nearly jumped when the teapot began to whistle loudly and she rose to retrieve it. When she returned she poured us both a cup of the steaming herbal water and left me with a set of choices for addition. A small bowl of sugar, a covered dish of cream, a jar of what I assumed was honey, and a large bowl with a variety of teas bags occupied the table between us, along with a plate of candied fruits and small biscuits. I watched her choose one that looked like plain black tea to me and add a spoonful of the golden honey to it. She sat with the saucer balanced on one knee and rubbed her chin in thought while I tried not to be obvious about my enthusiasm for the earl grey packet I`d spotted. We both sipped our drinks and I prompted;

"Thank you for the tea. But you never answered my other question."

"Tcht. If we wanted to turn you in to slaves we would have taken your weapons, separated you from each other, and beat the resistance out of you until your spirits broke. You`re not some wild ragtag survivors; anyone with eyes in their head can see that your group has military training. I saw you battling those titans myself. You, especially, are dangerous." She paused to sip her tea. Her stare was shrewd but not openly hostile. The empty cup made a soft _clink_ as she set if down on the longer table between us and leaned forward with her elbows on her knees. A small smile touched the corners of her mouth. "If we really wanted to repress your freedom, don`t you think this is going about it the wrong way?"

"Yes, which is why I`m confused. If you aren`t going to do my people harm then what is it you want with us, exactly?"

"My father could explain better than I, but I can see you`re impatient. Is it so hard to believe that I was trying to do the right thing by ordering my dead men to rescue you?" The last embers of a dying sun lit her through the window behind me, cloaking her in reds and orange, enforcing the sinister air I imagined emanating from her. I got the impression that the woman was toying with me as a cat does a mouse. _I`m no mouse, and you aren`t as convincing as you think you are…_ I cleared my throat slightly and spoke up;

"You`re damn right it is. And yes, I _am_ impatient. So you`d better start giving me some answers."

She sighed in what sounded like exasperation and pinched the bridge of her nose, sitting back. "The honest answer is simple; I need weapons. My _people_ need weapons, and help. We have been using airships like the Aether for the last six years to explore beyond our home. Late last year, our scouts spotted something more awful than we had imagined when we went eastward across the mainland. One titan doesn`t pose much of a threat to us, or even several titans. But several _hundred_ would wipe us out in less than a blink of the eye. Our last expedition witnessed a solid wall of the monsters moving slowly but steadily towards our city. We saw the dust cloud they created days before we ran in to the beasts themselves. At first it was mistaken for a volcanic eruption, but the signs were wrong. Calculations project that the fastest titans will reach the mainland near our northern shore within six and a half more months."

"Wait. A 'wall' of titans? I`ve seen them group together before, but never in the numbers you`re talking about. That`s impossible. Don`t bullshit me."

"I`m not!" She snapped angrily. Then; "I have proof. These were taken from that voyage, look and see for yourself." From a lower shelf on the table next to her chair she produced a box. Inside were dozens of photos (all in sepia and white). What I saw with my own vision was unmistakable. Just as Artemis claimed, nothing short of at least several hundred massive bodies shambled across the terrain. They were clumped together so thickly I was amazed they didn`t crush each other. I had never before in my wildest nightmares seen such a thing, nor heard tale of it.

"This is unbelievable…How is that even possible?"

"…I don`t know. No one does. No one alive among our people has ever heard or seen anything like it. That`s why, when I spotted your people in the distance from the forest a few days ago I forced the Captain to hold steady until you drew closer. I, _we_ , needed to see if you were real. If so, we then wanted to find out if by some miracle you could help us. That female titan we didn`t expect; she threw everything out of order."

"You were watching us for that long?"

"Did you think I would blindly risk my life and those of my friends and family just to save a few strangers? Even if you _are_ the first human survivors we`ve come across since the expeditions began…No. _Especially_ because of that, I needed to be certain you wouldn`t simply attack us on sight. Originally I had planned on taking a small group groundways to hail your leaders peacefully. You see how well that turned out…"

"'The best laid plans often end in ruin'." I quoted from somewhere I couldn`t recall. I ran a hand through the long part of my hair, thinking. The kettle was warm in my hands as I poured myself another cup of tea and sipped at it. "Tell me the rest. You said you were after weapons. Did you take interest in us because of our equipment too?"

"Partially. What got my attention and reinforced Virgil`s paranoia was the fact that there were so many of you working together so fluidly. Your tactics are impressive. That level of cooperation makes our guardians` raw skill seem paltry. You have a well-trained army. That`s something my homeland strongly lacks. Before there has never been a _need_ for a large force; we live on an archipelago farther out in to the sea than many titans care to walk. Even lacking the need to breathe, the strong tidal currents are usually enough to deter them. But the horde that is coming will surpass even those protections in my own predictions. When I saw you and the others, I saw a chance. I gained the tiniest hope that if somehow we can convince you to aid us, that we might yet live. That is why I took the chance."

"That`s a much better reason that I would have originally guessed at. I think I understand now. But, you said yourself, why would we blindly risk our lives for you? The titans are to the east, and our home is to the north. We have our own troubles already, and who`s to say that your legion of monsters won`t simply pass us by? A personal debt on my squadron`s part isn`t going to convince the rest of our people to help you."

"A fair point, and I don`t expect blind faith. In order to make your leaders a suitable offer though, we would have to meet first. A promise based on estimation is one bound to be broken in my opinion. New Roma`s citizens number less than eighteen thousand people, across all seven of the islands. In spite of this, or maybe because of it, we are able to produce far more than we need in terms of crops and refined natural resources. We have air travel using ships like this one, and oceanic travel that allows us to avoid the titans for the most part. Until the Sighting, we thought our biggest concern would be hereditary diversity in the future with our population. It goes without saying that if your people help us, we can and will certainly aid you in return."

"That`s a good start. We have several _million_ inhabitants in our Walled City. Being confined behind a recently shrinking barrier has caused us no end of difficulties trying to feed and find space for everyone. I`m not the one to make any kind of call on the matter, but if your Captain can get us home I will present the idea to my superiors. That at least I can do, and call the debt for you saving my life and the lives of my squad members even."


	4. Hopeful Hearts, Fragile Futures

**[Chapter Four: Hopeful Hearts. Fragile Futures]**

 **[Erwin`s POV]**

More than almost anything, I wanted to know what the hell had happened in the forest of giant trees. The female titan, or whoever controlled her, had outwitted us. That much I knew as fact. What was nagging me was not knowing what had happened to Eren Yeager and Ackerman`s special operations squad. Levi had taken off like a shot to regroup with them, and no one had heard from any of them yet. Some of our scouts had found the remains of Oluo and Gunther. Everyone agreed that the stab wound in Gunther`s back was suspicious. Forensics cited it was the cause of death since his corpse was otherwise intact and undamaged save for a few scrapes and discolorations. Hanji`s explanation that titans weren`t interested in consuming dead bodies didn`t make me feel any better, or otherwise shed light on the chaotic situation. We could only assume that the man had been murdered by a member of the scout regiment, which meant we had a traitor in our midst. I had suspected as much when the female titan had discovered Eren`s location among our ranks and attacked. She could have pursued anyone-yet Yeager had been her goal all along. The one person to anyone`s knowledge that could transform in to a titan under the correct conditions, the one variable possibility that had given the human race some inkling of hope for survival, had been her prey. Since leaving the walls he hadn`t changed, so the monster had to be someone who had been inside the Walls we he had previously done so. Furthermore, she had to know what Eren looked like and had probably met him herself in human form. The rumors of his description varied with who one was gossiping with; I had heard a hundred different renditions.

Much like the current mystery, if I hadn`t been there, I wouldn`t know which version was the most accurate. Every squad member reported to their captain. Every captain then reported to me. By the time I heard all of the stories there were to tell, I hadn`t learned much. The tales ran the gammit from minimalistic to outright extraordinary. Mikasa Ackerman was one of those who had an unusual account to tell, which struck me as odd. She was usually a quiet, reserved woman. In the past I had been given no reason to believe she was anything less than honest. Once I listened to what she had to say though, I couldn`t help but think her words were fable. I wanted to dismiss the oddity as the result of a head injury. Hanji assured me however that Mikasa had suffered no such wound, and indeed one was not visible. On the one hand, I wanted to suspect her of deception. Most everyone in the survey corps, especially those that had graduated in the same class as she and Eren, knew how close the two were. If Eren had betrayed us as some of the wilder rumors claimed, then the oriental girl was almost certainly working with him. If that were true then she was his eyes and ears inside the Walls, and the best option would be to detain her. _If only we were able to test who could and could not turn in to titans, we might be able to prepare ourselves,_ I thought. Unfortunately that wasn`t an option, and basing any judgment solely on 'ifs' was most certainly a mistake I refused to make. I doubted that Mikasa Ackerman could turn in to a titan just as much as I doubted her bizarre story that she had seen Yeager and Levi being snatched in to the sky by an unidentified faction of humans, and that she had been unable to follow them due to a malfunction with her omni directional gear. Upon return every soldier had to submit their equipment for inspection as was routine. Hers had indeed been damged, which was the primary reason I hadn`t ordered her to be locked up and medicated heavily for post-traumatic delusions. There was no concrete proof that her "outsiders" existed though. Sasha Blouse was the only other person who claimed to have witnessed this event; and I didn`t know the pretty young woman well enough to trust her instincts yet. For all I knew she was only trying to stick up for the other girl out of friendship. It was something I had seen happen before, usually with disastrous results. I admired that, but loyalty to the human race came before loyalty to one`s friends, in my book. The rest of the 104th trainee squad made it clear that they were presently in doubt of Blouse`s intelligence, if not her sanity _because_ she had backed Mikasa up. Even Connie Springer claimed that he knew better than to support such madness. In spite of all this, I was unable to focus my full attention on their outlandish allegations.

The last two days had passed nearly without my notice as I was in and out of meetings and frantic consultations with the military police, garrison corps, scientists, panicked underlings, and furious superiors. Citizens within the walls were on the verge of rioting in many areas. Pockets of dissention were widespread already with the food shortages, rationing, and overcrowding. The military police had been forced to send additional discipline squadrons to the districts in an attempt to halt the rising discord. They must have been doing their jobs to some degree because there hadn`t been outright bloodshed yet. All of this chaos, and somehow the higher ups still found time to put me through the inquisition from hell. I had barely slept more than a few hours when yet another person was knocking at my door again, rousing me from my exhausted rest.

"Commander Erwin? You`re needed for a debreifing in the war room, asap."

"I`ll be there in just a moment." I groggily replied as I rubbed the crust from my eyes. Sighing, I swung my legs over the edge of the bed and stretched as I rose. After retrieving my shirt from the back of a nearby chair and donning my boots, bolo tie, and jacket I was ready to go. I ran one large hand over my hair to smooth it down before leaving the room. Barely awake I forgot to lock the door. It would be several hours later that I recalled this oversight when I returned to look for a nerve settling drink from my private stash of rum and would find the bottle missing.

 **[Sasha`s POV]**

"I can`t help it, Mikasa! I eat and drink when I`m stressed out." I replied to my friend`s reprimand. My explanation didn't seem to satisfy her at all as she continued;

"Really, Sasha? We`re all stressed out right now. We just lost a lot of people, and now Eren _and_ Armin are missing! How do you think the rest of us feel? You don`t see me sneaking in to the Captain`s Quarters to steal their booze though."

"I didn`t meaning to…I was only hoping to find some meat to share with everyone so they`d stop being so cold towards me. You`ve seen how they are since we told Erwin about what we saw. No one believes us. I just wanted to be able to sit and talk with them again like we all did before. i swear all I was after was food, the rum was just there."

"Ugh. I know." Mikasa said miserably. With her closest friends gone, she was like another person. Her confidence and energy seemed totally drained. I thought I could empathize. Eren and Armin were my friends too, after all. However deflated she seemed, Mikasa hadn't lost her common sense or her ability to nag. She said; "You really are hopeless. But I don't suppose it will do any good to return it now, we`d only get in trouble for taking it in the first place, even though I didn`t help you. That's the last thing I need."

"Sorry. You're right. I'm an idiot. We're all worried about them too, but this must be especially hard on you." I gave her an apologetic glance and sighed, depressed. Her stern face seemed to soften slightly around the eyes, as if she understood how everyone was dealing with current events in their own way. She told me;

"It is. I don't want to talk about it, but I haven't given up. Not by along shot. Eren`s still alive, and probably Armin too. I just hope they can keep each other safe until we get them back." Her hand clenched in to a fist, her sad expression vanishing to be replaced by one of stubborn determination. I thought it looked like Yaeger`s attitude had rubbed off on her a bit. The idea made me smile slightly, and I uncorked the rum, raising the bottle up.

"Here's to not giving up hope. Cheers." I took a swig and offered her the bottle seriously. My silky-haired comrade stared at me for a moment with what appeared to be disbelief. Then she snorted and shook her head.

"What the hell. Cheers." Mikasa stole a long swig of the alcohol, coughing a bit as it burned her throat. She handed the contraband back. We passed pass the night that way in the women's barracks, trading back and forth until the alcohol was gone and we were both too drunk to worry about getting in trouble, our doubtful friends, our missing friends, or the seemingly hopeless state of the world.

~X~x~X~x~X~

 **[Eren's POV]**

"Armin, slow down! How can you have this much energy after everything we just went through?"

"That's exactly _why_ I have so much energy. We're alive! I know not everyone was as lucky, but don't you think we should try to live a little for them too?" My best friend asked me seriously as he pulled me towards a set of steps leading up. They were the same stairs we had come down when we arrived, but I didn't know that. I thought that Armin had been acting a little strangely since we got here, but put it down to the stress of recent events. It was hard to believe that less than a day had gone by since we were down in the forest with the titans. I frowned slightly as I responded;

"When you put it like that, it sounds a little…I don't know…odd."

"I don't mean it to be insensitive. It`s just, I feel like moping around and crying about all the awful things that've happened would be rude. Like 'we're still here, what are we complaining for? We get another chance to fight.'"

"Yeah, I understand now." I said with a small smile. _So that`s it. That makes sense, we should try to keep our spirits up and carry on. If those guys are looking down on us now we should give them something to smile about. It's weird that Armin`s the one encouraging_ me _, usually it's the other way around. A lot sure has changed since we joined the scout regiment._ I wouldn't bring the subject up again; although inside I was wondering how many we had lost. I`m sure Armin and the others were as well, but we couldn't know for sure until we got in to contact with the rest of the military back on the ground. Trying to lighten the somewhat awkward mood I'd created, I changed the topic. "So, what do you want to check out first?"

"I want to see how the heck this thing stays in the air." He shot back with a grin as he opened the door and we stepped on to the main deck.

My first thought was simply; _Wow._ The view would have boggled my mind at any time, but we walked out just at sunset. There were people everywhere; adjusting the rigging, carrying supplies, laughing or talking with each other, and making notes. A few of them turned to look at us and pointed or waved, but no one came running up to detain or yell at us. The largest balloon I had ever seen in my life spread above us all, held in place by a latticework of cable tethers. Slowly I walked with Armin to the railing and looked over the edge, still trying to take in everything else at the same time. The sun gilded the clouds along the top and dyed them orange and red underneath. The air beyond was red and purple, and I could see the first stars beginning to appear. As dusk descended colored lanterns flared to life all over the place lit by the crew. My head spun and I didn't realize my mouth was hanging slightly open until Armin nudged my shoulder and laughed.

"You should see your face, Eren."

"You should see _yours_." I retorted, feeling my cheeks burn slightly in embarrassment. Arlert snickered at me.

"You blush like a schoolgirl."

"Stop making fun of me." I demanded. I closed my eyes and stuck my tongue out like a little kid. So what if it was immature? My mind was reeling and it was a bit difficult to think of an adequate comeback at the moment. Armin was on point though, he didn`t waste the opportunity I'd unwittingly created for another tease.

"Put that away before you give somebody the wrong idea."

"W-wha-t?!" I stuttered, totally caught off guard. What was _he_ thinking about? I shoved the shorter boy hard in the chest and he stumbled back a step, laughing his ass off. Similar antics continued on through the evening until we ran in to the male doctor who`d treated everyone`s injuries when we first arrived.

He informed us that dinner would be ready shortly and showed us where the bathrooms were in case we wanted to bathe. I was just as amazed as Armin that they had such a luxury on this fantastical flying ship. When Armin asked him how such a thing was possible, Icarus patiently explained to us that water was collected from the clouds to boost the reserves in several holding tanks. A complex filtration system that I didn't quite understand then purified the water naturally and what was able to be recycled was done so through a like process. Following this Armin and I both gladly indulged in the only only showers we`d had since leaving the Walls behind. They were short, limited to no more than ten minutes. But the warm water felt like nothing less than heaven raining down on our sore, tired bodies. I wondered if the others felt the same or had gotten to use the showers yet. I found out later at dinner that they had, when everyone showed up clean and rested. The Captain of the Aether had been kind enough to arrange for some clean clothes for us all while ours were being laundered. Even Eld, with his broken leg, had somehow managed to freshen up. Evidently Petra had helped him, if his thanks to her was any indication. What came after the relaxed dinner was one of the most tense discussions I had ever been a part of. Between Captain Virgil, Captain Levi, and the woman named Artemis who had saved us, they explained the dire reason for the Aether`s travels and sudden appearance in our territory. By the end of it, I was even more fired up to kill titans than before, if that were possible. Armin wore that preoccupied, deep thinking stare he often got. He expressed both some reservations, and great enthusiasm on the subject of a potential alliance. The two of us, along with Petra, Eld, and Levi stayed up late in to the night conversing and debating the subject back in the medical cabin. No one disturbed us; even Icarus stayed away. I fell asleep wondering what was going to happen next, my head stuffed full of ideas while my stomach was stuffed full of strange, delicious food.


	5. The Long Road Home

**[Chapter Five: The Long Road Home]**

 **[Artemis`s POV]**

I had expected a severe punishment for my actions. The choice to bring potentially dangerous strangers on to our ship and among our people certainly wasn`t one to be made lightly. I had premeditated the decision after my observations, and was confident that it was the correct one. So far my instincts hadn`t served me wrong. This continued to hold true as the Aether`s journey progressed. However, my adopted father was not only my family, but a leader. People respected and looked up to him, and he always had to have their best interests at heart. That was one thing that I had learned from Virgil. He also taught me that the primary reason our crew had so much faith in him was because he was someone who did not waver. Because of this especially I would have to serve out whatever consequence he thought up. Naturally I had hoped for something that I could get over with quickly, but the decision wasn`t up to me. Having sheltered me for the last six years, Virgil knew me too well. A harsh whipping would have been one of several standard disciplinary measures possibly taken for what I had done. Due to my stubborn nature and accelerated healing abilities though, this likely wouldn`t have made a great impact, as the Aether`s Captain was well aware. Instead, he had ordered to have me removed and barred from active reconiassance duty for the next three days. Not only that, but I had been redelegated to the steamy, hot boiler room for maintenance detail while my most hated rival got to take my place as temporary commander of the tactical unit that _I had formed_. Describing my current situation as merely frustrating would have been a massive understatement.

My irritation was only compounded after I finished my second day of duty in the boiler room and went to spend some time in the cargo bay`s special gear storage. Normally I found upkeeping the equipment my Dead Men and I used for our patrols to be extremely relaxing. I was deprived of even this simple pleasure today, as Alexandre Louka sauntered in while I was in the middle of my work. 'Just call me Alex, cher' was a leanly muscled young man with a face that most people found attractive. In my opinion he was best described as rat-like. His small, dark eyes reminded me of the vermin residing in the underground water treatment tunnels back home, and his oddly overlong fingers often appeared clawlike as he was always scratching at the neatly trimmed goatee he wore. It was a coarse golden brown identical to the hair on his head, which he wore tied back by a ribbon more often than not. I found his boisterous voice and overly familiar demeanor towards every woman alive to be extremely annoying. He wasn`t a bad addition to the crew with his physical capabilities and moderate intelligence, but his presumptuous and cocky attitude grated on me. He had apparently just returned from one of the missions I was currently restricted from going on, as evidenced by the gear he was wearing. Two of his friends (newer initiates I hadn`t had much opportunity to work with) accompanied him. Both of the juniors seemed enthused at the opportunity they had just had, and I surmised that this was likely their first time actually Dead Dropping off the ship instead of merely training to. I was greeted with;

"Bonjour, ma petit cherie! How are you enjoying your break?" Alexandre beamed cheerfully at me, his condescending expression not matching his tone. I understood enough french to know he`d just called me 'his little darling' and wholeheartedly disapproved. I also held no appreciation for his making my temporary sidelining out to sound like a vacation. My voice was chilly when I responded;

"Speak english if you want to talk to me Louka. Now if there`s nothing wrong with your equipment, I`m trying to work here."

"As you like, although I don't see why you`re so tense. This is a great opportunity for you; you get to relax here on the ship while I take care of the real work. Don`t worry about a thing, cherie." He smirked at me before he continued; "Let me assure you that all of my 'equipment' is in top shape. However, if you`re offering an inspection, well…" He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. One of his comrades snorted a laugh while the other, wiser of them gave his trainer a disbelieving look.

That was enough reason for me to want to throw the man off the side of the ship. I stood abruptly, one palm slamming flat on the small work table scattered with tools in front of me. The other held a flathead screwdriver which I had been using to make adjustments to a reeling cylinder. I leaned forward over the desk and pointed it at Louka`s face.

"I`m inclined to think that you have a something loose in your skull for talking to me like that. Don`t get cocky just because you have a few days to order the Dead Men around. I have _years_ of experience on you, and so help me if your foolishness gets one of them hurt, I will take it out of your hide you little shit." I thought I`d made myself clear with that statement, but apparently as usual the message didn`t quite sink all the way in because the french-lineaged male laughed at me. Maybe he thought I wasn`t serious because of the grease smudges on my arms, or perhaps it was because I seemed less intimidating without my customary sword sitting on my hip. Hell, perhaps the guy simply savored baiting me for amusement. Whatever the reason, the next words out of his mouth were even less respectful than the previous ones;

"Oh dear. It would seem as though I`m outmatched here. Perhaps you could show me some of these 'years of experience' later in private? I`d welcome the lesson."

I was only barely restrained from kicking Louka`s perverted can by the arrival of Juliette, Pietre, and two of the near-strangers we`d picked up the day before yesterday. Pietre tromped down the stairs with his heavy step as per usual, followed by Juliette, who was excitedly chattering away with the blonde-haired youth and his Captain. I hadn`t spoken to Ackerman since dinner the other night, nor had I gotten much opportunity to get to know the boy with him. It was Juliette that prevented me from taking Alexandre`s bait by walking over and snagging the raised screwdriver from my hand, passing between Louka and myself to come up on my left side.

"Questo e proprio quello che cercavo! Grazie Artemis." With that my flame-haired friend removed the harness she was currently wearing and laid it out on the table I was using to tinker with it. She stood bent over slightly next to me, having effectively interrupted the noxious conversation. Pietre also inserted himself in to the space; a much more physically imposing presence. He clomped over and stood between Louka and myself on my foe`s side of the workbench.

"Captain Ackerman and Mister Arlert caught us as we were coming back in. They want to compare our gear to theirs out of curiosity." Pietre`s italian accent was strong enough that the english wasn`t perfectly ennounciated, but still managed to be comprehensible. He ran a calloused hand through his shaggy hair and tossed a look over his shoulder at Louka. "By the way, Captain Virgil was looking for you."

Louka looked like he wanted to brush the task off and stay to harass me, but ultimately he seemed to think better of doing so in the presence of people he didn`t really know as Levi and Armin approached the table we were all clustered around. The frenchman scoffed and muttered something that sounded like 'whatever' before he gestured for his men to follow and they all left the cargo hold. I exhaled a frustrated huff and made a rude gesture at Louka`s retreating back. Juliette gave up on her futile attempts at fine tuning and snickered at me.

"You couldn`t have showed up about five minutes earlier?" I asked jokingly as I picked up the tool Juliette had discarded and tugged her gear so if would lay out flat.

"We were held up when we ran in to these two." Pietre explained with a thumb pointed at the Scouts. His dark green eyes cast about for a place to sit and he walked off to retreive some spare chairs tucked away around a card bench.

"I see. So what would you like to know?" I asked, directing the question at the curious Survery Corps members. I glanced up and gave them the ghost of a smile, having let go of my anger for the moment. It was Levi who spoke up, as he told me;

"Anything you can tell us. We`re interested to see how the equipment your people use works. Our own is powered by compressed air, but yours doesn`t seem to be." The Captain glanced over at Armin and nodded, and both removed their Regiment cloaks to reveal the 3DM gear beneath.

"Well that certainly _is_ different. Our reconaissance showed us that your group was using some kind of strange contraption to move around between the trees and fight titans, but this is the first time I`ve gotten to see it up close. May I?" After obtaining a concentual nod I moved around the table to examine the Captain`s gear. Pietre had returned by now and offered everyone seats. He watched as Juliette began explaining some of the workings of the Dead Men`s own equipment to Armin with an odd expression on his face.

"How does this work?" The slender blonde boy inquired. Juliette replied smartly; "That pack holds the cables` central cylinder. The cables inside are attached to these grappling hooks, see? There is also a compartment here that houses a third, thicker anchor cable that we attach to the ship before Dead Dropping off…"

"Why is it called 'Dead Dropping'?" Levi interrupted inquisitively. In spite of being fascinated by the compressed air cannisters` mechanism of the 3DM he wore, I stepped in to explain this time;

"It`s called Dead Dropping after the espionage technique. Originally a 'Dead Drop' was used to pass along secret information between intelligence agents without them ever having to meet. It requires an acute artistry for stealth and the ability to think quickly and covertly on one`s feet in case a plan fails. When I first formed the Dead Men, our mission was to observe and report, without being noticed or engaging. We call ourselves Dead Men both for emulating those stealth manuevers and because of the possibility that we might not return. Our first priority is to survive the mission, but if we are unable to ensure that, than at the very least we would not lead the titans back to endanger the rest our people. Once we leave the ship, we acknowledge that for our remaining crew to endure they may have to abandon us, thus we are Dead Men."

"It may sound morbid, and you might have reservations about believing Artemis considering what she did to get you both here, but she looks out for her own." Pietre surprisingly contributed in his deep voice. He made some adjustments to the harness straps of Juliette`s gear as she asked him for help to put it back on.

 **[Levi`s POV]**

I watched how their team members interacted with each other, feeling an uncomfortable pang in my chest as I remembered the recent loss of Gunther and Oluo. Both men had had the same kind of faith in my leadership, and I knew that there was no point in regretting the decisions made. Still, I was having a hard time completely ignoring my guilty conscious. On top of that, the more I saw Artemis, Juliette, and Pietre together, the more I was reminded of Isabel and Furlan. The young woman called Juliette may have been a bit more level-headed than Isabel, judging from the way she spoke, and she didn`t share the same shadow of dark memories in her face as my dead friend. The tall man named Pietre seemed to be a deep thinker, much as Furlan had been. What those thoughts were though I could only guess at. I realized that I had been somewhat uncharacteristically distracted by my musings and that my silence may have been misinterpreted as agreement. Armin attempted to fill in the awkward lull in conversation with more inquiries about the gear by asking;

"What do you call your equipment, is there a special name for it? In the Survey Corps we`ve always referred to ours as the 3D Manuevering Gear because of it`s function."

"It`s sort of funny you should ask that," the redheaded Juliette supplied with a smile. I noticed then that her eyes were two different colors; the left one was blue while the right was brown. She continued; "It`s called 'The Wings of Icarus'. Pietre and Artemis designed it with help from a few others, but Icarus was actually the first person to test it out. In honor of his bravery we named it after him."

"Icarus, the doctor who treated our wounds?" I had to ask, caught off guard. He certainly didn`t strike me as the fearless type.

"Yes, my brother used to be part of the Dead Men as well. He thought it would be helpful to have someone with medical expertise along with us on our expaditions in case soemone was injured. While to a degree this was true, it was ultimately decided that Icarus would be of much greater aid here on the Aether." Artemis told us as she finished making notes in a small journal. I hadn`t noticed she`d had it before and wondered how I`d missed it. Once again Armin asked another question. This time he was a bit more hesitant about it.

"Is there any chance that I could try it out? I`m really curious to see how the Wings of Icarus work in action compared to our 3DM equipment." His large eyes looked hopeful, but the airship`s crew memebers didn`t seem too keen on the idea.

"Normally, it takes about a year of training at a minimum to use the Wings properly. Since all of your group have previous training with similar machinery it`s probably safe to say that it wouldn`t take you nearly that long…" Juliette observed, only to have Pietre add on to her trail of thought.

"However, we don`t have any safe place to train you. Everyone who uses the apparatus learns back on the ground in New Roma. We don`t have the facilities set up here on the ship to educate you appropriately. We might be able to improvise groundways, but with Louka acting as the Captain at the moment I doubt we could get it approved. In spite of being one of the first ones to join the Dead Men, I`m not much of a leader." The brunette-haired male rubbed the back of his neck seemingly in embarassment. Artemis gave him a sympathetic pat on the arm and seemed about to speak when our impromptu meeting was interrupted by steps coming down the stairs. It was a civilian I didn`t recognize. Her curly brown hair bounced as she hurried down the steps and rushed over to our group. I couldn`t understand what she said as it wasn`t in english, but I saw plainly that whatever news she bore was urgent. She spoke rapidly, firing off the foreign words with a natural born ease before leaving just as quickly as she had come. Artemis informed me by translating;

"Johannes and Gianna just reported back in from their Drop. It looks like your rendezvous point is in sight. Virgil estimates we should be their by nightfall tomorrow."

"That`s good news. Hopefully from there we`ll be able to send communications back to my Commander and the walled city." I responded greatfully. Armin seemed almost as excited as I was relieved, and I figured he would get a thrill relating the missing Scouts` adventures to our comrades back home. _Provided we can get there safely…._ I thought of all the potential hazards that still lay between us and the delapitated fortess we were headed to, and then all of the dangers lurking beyond that, that we would need to face or avoid before we could get home. The hair on the back of my neck stood on end and tingled at the idea. The journey would not be easy by any means. I was somewhat sorry that we could not stay aboard the Aether for the entirety of the remaining distance as Virgil had reluctantly offered. Bringing an airship down outside of Wall Rose though was almost certain to induce a panic of disastrous proportions. Our leaders might think it was an attack, having never seen anything similar before. It was more than likely that the Aether and its crew would be attacked if some kind of forewarning wasn`t given before their arrival. Therefore, I was hoping to land at the ruins we had used as a base before on previous expeditions and somehow get a message to Erwin.

 **A/N: Apologies for the lack of updates and the short filler chapter, hopefully more will be coming soon for both this and my other story Bleed once I`ve settled down in to my new place. (We just moved so updates may be random for a while until everything is in order again.)**


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